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“Good.” She didn’t wait for him to have second thoughts. Instead, she scooted under the net and climbed into the hammock—right on top of a solid bed of hot muscle.
She stilled, not quite sure where to put her hands or legs.
He let out a strangled groan.
“To hell with it,” he said. “If we’re going to do this thing, we might as well stop screwing around.”
She felt his hands at her waist, and he lifted her, shifting her to suit himself. When he was done, she found herself lying plastered to his side with one arm over his waist and her head on his shoulder. Their bodies were wedged tight together, his arm wrapped around her and their feet tangled. It was as intimate as two people could get without making love.
“Comfortable?” he said in that deep, rough voice of his.
Belinda cleared her throat. “Yes.”
Comfortable wasn’t the word for it. She was insanely aware of her breasts pressed against him and his thigh wedged between hers. The heat of his body, coupled with his solid muscles, made her want to wriggle against him. If she’d been hot on her own, she was now in a furnace.
They lay stiffly together, listening to the noises of the forest growing louder around them. Strangely, she felt secure in their tiny hammock, with John at her side—secure and hyperaware of every inch of her skin that touched him. This was a new kind of agony. The man made her want to touch and taste and tease. Instead, she had to lie still and pretend his presence wasn’t turning her on more than other men had managed when they were putting the effort in. It was a sensory hell that she both loved and hated at the same time.
“This is awkward, isn’t it?” she said into the silence.
John froze and then burst out laughing. He laughed long and hard. Belinda pressed her ear to his chest and let the sound rumble through her as she relaxed, safe in his arms.
Chapter 13
Ryan woke up in a hospital bed. One glance at the window told him it was night. Apart from that, there was no other information in his fog-filled head.
“What happened?” It felt like he was pushing the words past a mouth full of cotton balls.
“Hey, you.” Elle’s purple hair came into view. She held a plastic beaker with a straw to his lips. “You broke your shoulder and they had to operate. Drink.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. As he drank, he began to notice his surroundings. There was an IV line in his left arm, and his right shoulder had a thick dressing and was strapped up tight.
“Better?” Elle put the beaker on the table beside his bed.
“Where am I?” Before she could explain that he was in hospital, he added, “Which town?”
“Cusco. That was the nearest hospital. De la Cruz flew you in on the chopper a few hours ago. It will take another few hours for the anaesthetic to work its way out of your system. Until then, you’ll feel groggy.” She smoothed his hair back from his forehead in a sisterly gesture.
“What’s this for?” He lifted his left arm to indicate the IV line.
“Antibiotics. You’ll need them for a few days.”
A surge of panic ran through Ryan as he struggled to sit up. “I can’t stay here for days.”
“Hey, don’t go nuts on me.” Elle gently pressed his chest to push him back down. “You won’t even be able to stand right now. And where, exactly, do you think you need to be?”
“Belinda. Beast.” It was hard to think when his eyes felt so heavy. “Esperanza.” A vision of a mass of wavy black hair framing a heart-shaped face and large hazel eyes filled his mind. “Got to get back to Esperanza.”
“Who’s Esperanza?” Elle tucked the sheet in around him.
“She’s an angel.” Ryan smiled as his eyes closed. “Gonna marry her…”
And then the world faded as he sank back into sleep.
“It’s the drugs talking,” De la Cruz said as he sauntered into the room.
Elle was pleased to see he was armed with coffee. She gratefully took a cup from him.
“I once declared love to my dentist after getting my wisdom teeth out under anaesthetic. Proposed, too.” De la Cruz grinned widely, making her agree with Megan that he was one seriously good-looking man. “Mr Donahue was flattered, but seeing as he already had a wife and eight grandkids, he decided to pass.”
